562 C. H. GORDON 
degrees to the southeast, but in places they are inclined in the 
opposite direction. The marble takes a fine polish and is much 
favored by architects for interior decoration. It is widely used 
for both interior and exterior work and may be seen in many 
buildings throughout the United States and even in foreign 
countries. 
Fic. 1.—Examples of Stylolites in Tennessee Marble 
One of the striking features of the marble is the presence of 
dark-colored, interlocking seams or sutures known technically as 
“stylolites.”’ This structure, which is prominently displayed on 
the polished surfaces of slabs cut across the bedding planes of the 
stone, is known among the quarrymen as ‘‘crowfoot”’ and ‘‘toe- 
nails,’ and various theories have been proposed to account for it. 
It first attracted attention in the Muschelkalk of Europe but has 
been observed to occur in limestones generally, though some of the 
best examples appear in the Muschelkalk of Europe, the Clinton 
